General Information for Mr. Morris's Classes

August 30, 2017

Contents of this Home Page
1.  Course Description
2.  Trimester Project Description

World History 9

Morris 2017-2018

Morris Class Website   morristigers17.blogspot.com

World History 9 is a required, year-long class in which freshmen learn the history and geography of the Western World, and study how Western Civilization has influenced our lives intellectually, technologically, and culturally. 

Basic Course Outline

Unit One                                   History Themes, Learning to Think Like a Historian

Unit Two                                  Ancient Greece

Mini-Unit                                   Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic World

Unit Three                                 Ancient Rome and the Roman Republic

Unit Four                                  The Roman Empire: Rise and Fall

-------------------- End of First Trimester

Unit Five                                   The Middle Ages

Unit Six                                     The Renaissance

Unit Seven                                 The Reformation

Unit Eight                                  Emergence of Nation-States and Representative Government

Unit Nine                                   The Age of Exploration

Unit Ten                                    The Age of Absolutism

-----------------------End of Second Trimester

Unit Eleven                                The Scientific Revolution

Unit Twelve                               The Enlightenment

Unit Thirteen                              The French Revolution and Napoleon

Unit Fourteen                             The Industrial Revolution

Unit Fifteen                                The Russian Revolution

Unit Sixteen                               The Cold War—Russian Perspective

Required Materials for this Class

1. One composition notebook (pages are sewn in).  This book will be used for all journals, notes, and other writing assignments and will be graded at least once a month.   This notebook will be worth 100 points month—80 for notes and 20 for journal and flap contents
2. Writing utensil/planner.  No-brainer on these.
3. Loose leaf paper
4. Colored pencils for maps/projects

Expectations

My expectations are fair and few

• Be on time.  Tardies will be assessed per planner.  Third tardy is lunch detention.
• Zero Cell Phone Tolerance.  1^st offense-phone confiscated. 2^nd offense—phone to office, student gets at end of day.  3^rd offense—phone confiscated, parent must pick up phone.  4^th offense, no phone at school.  The office keeps track and count includes all offenses, all classes.
• Be prepared.  Bring notebook, writing utensil daily. 
• Golden Rule.  Treat your fellow classmates and teacher the way you would like to be treated.  Issues are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, with the object being to help you improve
• Students who have gotten high grades throughout school should consider taking Honors World History instead of regular World History.  Talk to Mr. Morris if you feel you might benefit from Honors.  The Honors class is excellent.

Grading Points are assessed as follows:

ü  Notes and Journal--- 100 points per month

ü  Quizzes—anywhere from ten to sixty points, depending on content

ü  Tests—100-150 points (about every three weeks)

ü  Book Homework—anywhere from 4 to 8 points

ü  Other work as assigned (group work, projects, papers, maps, etc)—varies but usually under 50 points.

ü  ECA—200 points

ü  Trimester  Project—50-300 points

ü  The grading scale is the standard 90-80-70-60

Success

Our common goal is your success.  I will do my part to prepare you to succeed by being prepared every day myself.  Note taking will help you learn the material and also give you a study tool.  Class discussion and other in-class activities will help make the material relevant.  Before tests, a review sheet containing all information on test will be given to students.  Review Jeopardy will be played the day before a test to firmly set the material in your brain.  Students are allowed to retake quizzes and tests.  The grades of the original and re-test will be averaged.  I maintain a class website with all notes, powerpoints, video clips that you can access at any time.  

Make-up Procedures

Make-up work is accepted for full credit at the rate of one day late per day of excused absence.   After that, the grade will decline to half credit and then to no credit after several weeks.  I will always listen to student pleas for exceptions under special circumstances.

Staple this syllabus into your notebook. It is worth ten points.  If it is loose in the notebook, it will be a zero. 

-------------------------------cut bottom and turn in for ten points----------------- 

I have read and understand the class expectations

_________________________                                     ___________________________

Student                                                                          Parent

__________________________                                    ____________________________

Printed name of student                                                  Parent Contact information and

                                                                                    Comments, please add below

2. Trimester Project

Trimester Project
Morris World History 9--2016
Examples of Trimester Projects



Every student must do a Trimester Project each trimester. This is a variable-point project, and also an open-option project, meaning that the more difficult or involved the project, the more points it is worth, and that any project that a student suggests that meets with approval from the teacher will be allowed. This allows each student to decide how many points he/she wants to earn on a project, and also to choose what type of project he/she wants to do. All projects are subject to approval by Mr. Morris, but no reasonable project will be turned down.


All projects must relate to the content being learned in the class. For example, a project about airplanes would not work unless it focused on Leonardo da Vinci’s early designs, since he lived in the Renaissance. A project about nuclear weapons, or China, or Chinese nuclear weapons would not work because it has nothing to do with the content being taught third trimester.
Here are some ideas, taken from projects that have been done by students in the past:
· Write a short story about a specific time period studied in the class
· Make a piece of art about one of the time periods, or do a Powerpoint about an artist
· Research a composer, an instrument, or a piece of music from a specific time period studied
· Make a weapon, helmet, piece of armor, or piece of clothing
· Research one of the above and present a Powerpoint on it.
· Make trading cards
· Make a movie, complete with costuming, music, titles, and scripting
· Make a clay-mation movie
· A model
· A painting
· Make a comic book about something we learned
· Make a chess set with medieval-style pieces, or using actual historical figures
· Make a board game about a period we study
· ETC…




Sign below, have a parent/guardian sign below, and return. This states that you are both aware of the project. Save the top portion in your composition book flap. The signed form is worth ten points, and the form will be part of your notebook grade as well.


________________________­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­__________________________________________


We have read the above and understand that this class requires a Trimester project, due by the end of the trimester.




____________________________ ______________________________

Student Parent/Guardian

T-Notes:  Napoleon's Fall and the Congress of Vienna


Red (key terms)                          Blue  (explanations)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After Napoleon                           Europeans wanted to prevent another nation from getting                                               too much power.
Five Great Powers                           Met in Vienna, Austria in 1814-1815     

The Big Five                                    1. Prussia
                                                         2. Russia
                                                         3. Austria
                                                         4. England
                                                         5. France
Klaus von Metternich                      Austrian foreign minister and most influential member
                                                         Nobleman, did not trust democratic or revolutionary 
                                                            movements in France or England
                                                         wanted monarchs to rule

Metternich's Three Goals                 1.  surround France with strong nations
                                                              a. weak nations around France strengthened,
                                                              b. 39 German states become German Confederation
                                                              c. Switzerland neutral
                                                              d. Netherlands (Holland) created
                                                          2. restore the balance of power
                                                          3. restore kings to throne in Europe
                                                              kings will restore order
How Effective Was It?                      kept peace for over 30 years, till 1853
                                                          wouldn't last forever
       MME